The Nomads (US) - " From Zero Down" (Crypt LP 006, 1985)

''Here 'tis at long last a full - length long player chock - fulla primitive, raunchy rockin', most of it in its first airing to the public cauz these songs were never released. Mount Airy, North Carolina is a quite southern town - at least it was until 1966, when four teenage outcasts began rockin' up a torrent of sounds to get the world off their backs, swing with chicks, make some dough and most of all, have fun. The Nomads played all summer at roller rinks, Elks lodges, and a whole slew of bars throughout the upper reaches of North Carolina and southern West Virginia. In March, 1966 they recorded a batch of demo songs at the basement Stark studios. These songs make up most of this album. In Summer '66 they re-recorded and released two songs on a 45; "Not For Me" and " How Many Times". No big chart action resulted from this 45, and they held off from recording again until April 1967, with the release of the awesome "Thoughts of a Madman" / "From Zero Down" 45 for Tornado records. The group started to split up in late '67 due to college, Vietnam and jobs. So, we present the full recorded history of one of America's great lost garage punk combos.''
That's a piece from the back of this GRRRRRR-eat record (and one of the first numbers for Crypt). I didn't bought it at the time came out cause i was too young and the only Nomads i knew was the 'modern' garage outfit from Sweden, but when i first got it on my hands i was totally blown away! All of the back sleeve looked like jumped out pages from an early Kicks mag! The photos, the fonts, the way liners being written - the whole set up! And what's inside, some really hot shot teenage punk of the Kennedy era US! No moptops, no paisleys, just underage filth! The funny thing's that Tim Warren always hated the same named Swedish now legends (and here's maybe the only disagreement i ever had with the master, i really like them!).
By coincidence i was trying to clean up mess on my warehouse the other day and came across to this.

 

Hahaha! Tim Warren always knew where the true and good punk rock is! Along with the Squires LP, anything by the Lyres, the two Wylde Mammoths, the Devil Dogs, the Raunch Hands and the Dirtys CD, the absolute peak of the Crypt records raw shit output!

The Excitements - Some Raves on the Hottest Rhythm & Soul act 'round the globe, hands down!!!

Barcelona has the good fortune to swagger proudly that this period have both the best football/soccer team and the best band around! And there are more to these Excitements guys (and gal!) in resemblance with the city's first football squad! Both subject-matters are tight, dance-stomping, funky, hard-edged at times and with tons of SOUL! Forget Sharon Jones and the Daptones, forget Raphael Saadiq (btw, I really can’t see the reason why people are raving about him, but anyway...) and forget in the end any other so-called “new funk-soul” act (yes, even the very sympathetic Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed). And you know, sometimes all these ‘filing’ sites like Facebook or Myspace do something worthy except for ‘connecting people’ (do you really believe this?…). The Excitements came to my attention on the same day and from two different directions. First was Eric Ratb0y asking me about them and secondly their Myspace page. And then WHOA!  Some google search and credit card disburse later, their brand new release (first long play on Penniman – btw great name for a label guys) was about to come in my hands some days later. I’m still trying to catch their two already sold out 7-inchers but I’m sure in a way or another I’m gonna make ‘em mine sooner or later. And they 're sounding like a band from my favorite music era/style. Somewhere when tough R&B started to involve into what later christened as ‘soul’! Imagine the Wheelsville/Premium/D-Town house bands (if they ever such bands existed ) crossing paths with Little Richard’s Upsetters having Tina in her prime and primitive (with a large amount of Sugar Pie DeSanto added powder), scream and shout on a mic! Yeeeeaaahhhh THAT GOOD, people! I mean, who else in year 2011 choose to cover a softer moment of Little Richard (“Never Gonna Let You Go”) or super cool floor burners in the likes of The Falcons, Barbara Stephens, Jimmy Dee or Nelson Sanders (kudos guys for pickin’ up on one of my VERY fave R&B stormers! – “This Love Is Here To Stay”). Don’t try finding something else; this combo’s the hottest shit around… And Koko’s a Goddess!
PS: This album produced by the mighty hands and dirty genius of Mr. Mike Mariconda (The Raunch Hands, The A-Bones), "Fuck the Mummies" indeed!

The Excitements Myspace

The Excitements on Facebook

Buy some Excitement Here!

I Want To Be Loved

Fat Back

Love Is Here To Stay

The Pretty Things - "The Pretty Things" (Fontana, 1965)

I've read already countless times that The Pretty Things debut long play was "a legendary exercise in anarchy". As much as a cliche this might sound, it's the least you can say about it. Fontana records chief Jack Baverstock when arrived to oversee his label's newest 'hitmakers', "walked out after half an hour with us" as the liners point out. Indeed, the Pretty Things were no less than five unruly, filthy and dirty to the max youths with a never-ending hunger for rhythm & blues! When you're going to read something about 'em the word 'mayhem' appears on the script immeasurable times. No wonder why Mick Jagger used all his connections to keep them down and even if those creeps sang the opposite, this indigestible prick finally succeed. But tapes and records are still here to remind us who were the filthiest of them all. The spiritual godfather of this album is the Man, Bo Diddley. Chuck's here too but his tunes Diddleyfied so much that sound to these ears like Bo's tracks or as i read somewhere else, like outtakes of the "Two Great Guitars" sessions. No less than four McDaniel toons appear in here. But the whole 'jungle beat' filtered and distorted through over-amped guitars, crushing drums and snarling vocals. Again, this is really one of the places where punk started. A roaring example of how garage was born. Sometimes i wonder how the rock & roll history would have be if the Pretties weren't THAT MUCH suicidal. The ironic front sleeve is perfect introduction of what are you going to witness. Five bumps who dare to provoke and even if you try to beautify them, the end result will be a total disgust! Is that punk or what? That's British R&B at its rawest and dirtiest and if the Rolling Stones are too pussy for you, well here's your chance. And Vivian Prince fuckin' rule!

The A-Bones drum head with Viv Prince